Righting History’s Wrongs

Righting History’s Wrongs

Since its creation, the Campaign for Cannabis Amnesty has been fighting to persuade the federal government that legalization of cannabis is not enough. Justice requires that legislation be passed to undo the harms caused by the criminalization of cannabis possession and its enforcement, which disproportionately targeted Black, Indigenous, and vulnerable members of society. People with simple possession records should be put in the same position as those people who did the exact same thing, but—because of factors that have no bearing on their degree of responsibility, such as the level of policing in their immediate neighbourhood, access to resources, family connections and privilege—were never charged or convicted. Our campaign launched on May 5, 2018 with a petition asking the government to issue blanket pardons to all individuals for the offence of simple possession of cannabis. Our petition was signed by over 10,000 Canadians.

With the coming into force of Bill C-93, the government has provided a way for individuals to apply for an expedited records suspension without having to pay the $631 application fee. While this is an important step towards fixing the harms and removing the stigma caused by our governments’ historical prohibition on cannabis, Bill C-93 does not meet our standard for fair and effective cannabis amnesty:

Bill C-93 does not provide for the automatic expungement of criminal records relating to cannabis— it requires an application. We know from previous experience that where the government institutes an application-based pardons regime, the uptake and participation from affected communities is extremely low.

Bill C-93 only calls for the suspension— not the expungement (permanent deletion)—of records upon successful application. These records will continue to exist.

Bill C-93 waives the $631 application fee, butpeople will still be required to pay to obtain documents needed to complete their application — including their certified criminal record from the RCMP and any supporting documents from the police of jurisdiction. In many cases, these costs are prohibitive and constitute a significant barrier to access.

The fight for true cannabis amnesty is not over.

Despite the passage of this legislation, people across the country will continue to be limited by cannabis-related criminal convictions. The Campaign for Cannabis Amnesty remains committed to achieving justice and equity for them.

Community Stories

Canada is transitioning into cannabis being a legal product. By changing the law, the government is admitting the war on cannabis was a failed experiment, In trying to control moral judgement with criminal law. The real victims of prohibition, the people arrested and jailed for its crimes, deserve not only an apology but also a relief from the burden set upon them, the label of being a criminal. Legalization requires amnesty.

Cannabis amnesty is essential to restore balance to disproportionately enforced drug laws on marginalized communities and especially communities of colour. We have all come to terms with historic cannabis law being irrational, and restoring those communities most harshly affected is a critical goal of legalization.

As a lifelong Conservative, I support NDP member’s Murray Rankin's private member's bill and urge the Liberal government to adopt this bill as government legislation. We need to help the over half million affected Canadians get their life back on track, without the burden of a criminal record for minor possession holding them back — we need to focus on violent and dangerous criminals

As a Liberal who has worked at the highest levels of the Party both federally and at Queen's Park, I urge the federal government to adopt Murray Rankin's private member's bill as government legislation. As we approach October 17th it's important to recognize that racialized and indigenous communities are overrepresented amongst those incarcerated for simple cannabis possession in this country. It's time to address this injustice.

It was 49 years ago that Canada began the process of legalizing marijuana by establishing an inquiry into the non-medical use of drugs... To restore some faith in justice among the tens of thousands of people convicted the decent thing to do would be an amnesty. That is long overdue.

Amnesty for non-violent cannabis offences is a direct and fair way to improve the well-being of the thousands of Canadians who have been harmed by decades of bad policies. It's also an important step in healing the injuries caused by the war on cannabis.

Government needs to write policy that is right for Canadians. To wait until existing laws are repealed and replaced lacks vision, and disproportionately affects minority communities. If the government is moving forward, Canadians deserve the right to as well.

As a former British Columbia Health Minister I am an ardent supporter of policies that improve public health, including the legalization of a well regulated cannabis industry. Marginalized and racialized groups have been disproportionately affected by the enforcement of drug prohibition, and many cannabis law reform advocates have been criminalized for activism that paved the way for our legal cannabis industry.

The opportunity to play sports is something no youth should have stripped from them. Yet data shows that minor possession charges have disproportionately affected minority youth, specifically African-Canadians and Indigenous youth, limiting opportunities for jobs, participation in sports, travel, and much more. Although this is not a statement supporting youth drug use, it is one meant to raise awareness of government legislation in regards to cannabis law: Criminal records for minor drug possession prohibits participation in sports for the youth who likely need it most.

Latest updates

Since its creation, the Campaign for Cannabis Amnesty has been fighting to persuade the federal government that legalization of cannabis is not enough. Justice requires that legislation be passed to undo the harms caused by the criminalization of cannabis possession and its enforcement, which disproportionately targeted Black, Indigenous, and vulnerable members of society. People with simple possession records should be put in the same position as those people who did the exact...

HEXO Corp gives $10,000 donation to the Campaign for Cannabis Amnesty [Toronto, Ontario] – April 12, 2019: The Campaign for Cannabis Amnesty is proud to announce that HEXO Corp has joined the Campaign as Purple Partners. HEXO has generously donated $10,000 to help us seek justice for those negatively affected by minor cannabis-related criminal records. Cannabis Amnesty is a...

Akwasi Owusu-Bempah, Director of Research for the Campaign for Cannabis Amnesty, was on the panel for the post-screening discussion of the film Breaking Habits with Sister Saige and Sister Steph of Sisters of the Valley and Sherry Boodram, CEO of CannDelta. The panel was moderated by Dr. Hance Clarke from the University of Toronto's Institute of Medical Science. Breaking Habits is a new...

Published in Calgary Sun on March 30, 2019 A cross-country tour aimed at gathering support for the permanent deletion of simple cannabis convictions made a stop in Calgary Saturday. David Duarte, experiential event manager with B.C. cannabis producer Doja, said a lot of Calgarians came by the Pardon truck to sign the campaign’s petition. “This tour’s really about driving awareness,”...

Published in CBC on October 29, 2018 In 2013, Justin Trudeau – then leader of the third-place party – admitted to having smoked cannabis about a half-dozen times. He was unapologetic. He noted that the most recent occasion was during a dinner party at his Montreal home — well after his election to Parliament. Two years later, he became prime minister. Not all...

[Toronto, Ontario] - October 17, 2018: Today the Cannabis Act came into force accomplishing what many believed could not be achieved. Legalization sends a positive message to Canadians and to the rest of the world that it’s time to move away from the ineffective and harmful war on drugs and adopt a pragmatic approach that focuses on harm reduction rather than...

The Campaign for Cannabis Amnesty is proud to announce that Omar Khan and Melissa Lantsman have joined the Advisory Board for the Campaign for Cannabis Amnesty. Cannabis Amnety is a non-partisan, not-for-profit organization working to improve the lives of the hundreds of thousands of Canadians who carry the burden of criminal records relating to simple cannabis possession offences. Without amnesty,...

Murray Rankin, a New Democrat MP, announced today (Oct. 3) that he will table a private member's bill in the House of Commons calling for the expungement of criminal records for any Canadian carrying a charge for minor cannabis possession. “This is a day I have been working on literally since the 1970s,” he said this afternoon in the House...

DOJA Cannabis Limited and the Campaign for Cannabis Amnesty are excited to announce the launch of PARDON, an advocacy campaign and product line that brings awareness to the injustices that cannabis prohibition has caused. 100% of the proceeds from the sale of PARDON products will be contributed to the Campaign for Cannabis Amnesty. PARDON Products are also available at https://doja.life and in store...

Montreal, Canada - Annamaria Enenajor says it's about righting a wrong.The Toronto-based lawyer is among a group of other professionals and activists leading a campaign to get the Canadian government to grant amnesty to those with simple cannabis possession convictions on their records.With Canada planning to legalise recreational marijuana by July 1, amnesty would address an "historic injustice" that has affected...